The Trinity. .The Trinity. By Roger E. Olson Roger E. Olson (b.1952) is Professor of Theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.[1] He is also an ordained Baptist minister.[2] He is married with two children. and Christopher A. Hall. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002. vii and 156 pages. Paper. $15.00. This short book, a guide to the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity and its contemporary reinterpretations, will be welcomed by teachers of introductory theology classes. Olson and Hall are markedly judicious in their overall treatment. The book's outline is simple and straightforward. It starts with "Patristic pa·tris·tic also pa·tris·ti·cal adj. Of or relating to the fathers of the early Christian church or their writings. pa·tris Contributions" and then deals with "Medieval, Reformation, and Modern Contributions." The book concludes with a 30-page annotated bibliography, extensive and highly valuable not just for the student but also the seasoned scholar. The section on the patristics pa·tris·tics n. (used with a sing. verb) 1. The study of the lives, writings, and doctrines of the Church fathers. 2. The writings of the Church fathers. Noun 1. (Apologists, Clement, Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cappadocians, Hilary, Augustine) skillfully and succinctly handles material which for most beginning students is highly complex and turgid turgid /tur·gid/ (ter´jid) swollen and congested. tur·gid adj. Swollen or distended, as from a fluid; bloated; tumid. turgid swollen and congested. . This will be welcomed by many instructors. The sections on Richard of St. Victor Richard of St. Victor (died 1173), was one of the most important mystical theologicans of 12th century Paris, then the intellectual center of Europe. Richard, a Scot, was prior of the famous Augustinian abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris from 1162 until his death in 1173. , Joachim of Fiore Joachim of Fiore (jō`əkĭm), c.1132–1202, Italian Cistercian monk. He was abbot of Corazzo, Italy, but withdrew into solitude. He left scriptural commentaries prophesying a new age. , and Aquinas crosses the information gap about medieval views of the Trinity that result from many scholars ignoring important medieval contributions. The authors' attempt to discern Luther's view of the Trinity largely from Ewald Plass's What Luther Says is disappointing for this reviewer. However, their reporting on Enlightenment thinkers, such as Zinzendorf and Edwards, corrects a gap in the history of trinitarian doctrine since these thinkers are often ignored. The theologies of the later Barth and Rahner, who contend that the economic Trinity is one with the immanent and vice versa, are masterfully treated, as well as the contemporary thinkers influenced by them: Moltmann, LaCugna, Boff boff 1 n. Slang 1. A line in a play or film, for example, that elicits a big laugh: "He doesn't go for the big boffs, artificially inflated, but lets his comedy build through a leisurely , a nd Ziziouslas. The impact that Moltmann has given to trinitarian theology is thoroughly covered. In this regard, the absence of Pannenberg's trinitarianism, in which the Trinity is so crucial in the development of his overall systematic theology and doctrine of God, is surprising. However, irrespective of a few caveats, this book is a sane and readable account of the importance of trinitarian theology to be welcomed by students, clergy, and lay readers. |
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